Charred Leeks with Harissa Oil and Toasted Nuts

If cooking is not your strong point but burning things is, this one is for you. The whole recipe is put a leek in a pan and blacken the outside completely, because while the outside is burning the inside is steaming. What comes out is soft, sweet and silky, and it takes about as much skill as forgetting something on the heat. Let's cook!

Why These Charred Leeks Work

The burnt layer is not a mistake, it is the lid. Blackening the outside seals the leek and turns it into its own steamer. All that heat goes into cooking the middle rather than drying it out, and the charred jacket comes off at the end.

Leeks are mostly water, which is why this works at all. There is enough moisture inside to steam itself soft without a drop of liquid, a splash of oil or any attention from you.

Harissa powder bloomed in warm oil is the whole seasoning. Spices are fat soluble, so warming them through oil pulls out far more flavour than sprinkling them over the top would.

Resting it covered does the last of the cooking. Fifteen minutes under a lid after it comes off the heat, and the residual steam finishes the job.

It is almost impossible to overdo. This is the rare recipe where the usual failure, taking it too far, is the actual method.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Resting Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Serves: 4, as a side
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: None, a heavy pan or a barbecue

The instinct everybody has to fight here is pulling them off too early. A leek that looks alarming is usually a leek that is nearly ready, and one that still looks respectable is raw in the middle. Go by feel rather than by colour. Press the side of the leek with tongs and you are waiting for it to give completely, soft and squishy all the way through, rather than springing back. On a big winter leek that can take a full twenty minutes and the outside will be properly black by then. The other thing worth saying is about washing them. Leeks are notoriously dirty and grit hides between the layers where you cannot see it, so give them a proper wash after you take the tough outer layer off. There is nothing worse than a beautifully cooked vegetable with sand in it.

Ingredients

• 2 large leeks
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 to 2 tsp harissa powder
• 50g nuts of your choice, such as almonds, hazelnuts or pistachios
• Salt and pepper

How to Make Charred Leeks with Harissa Oil

1. Trim and strip. Cut off the root end and the tough dark green tops, then pull off the outer layer and discard it.
2. Wash them properly. Leeks are notoriously dirty and grit sits between the layers. Rinse well under cold water, right down into the top where it is looser.
3. Char them completely. Into a dry, heavy pan over a medium high heat, or straight onto the barbecue. Turn them every few minutes so the whole outside blackens. This takes 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of your leeks.
4. Go by feel, not by looks. Press the side with tongs. When the leek gives completely and feels soft and squishy through the middle, it is done. Black outside is what you are aiming for.
5. Rest them covered. Lid on the pan, or into a bowl covered tightly if you cooked them on the barbecue. Leave for 15 minutes so the trapped steam finishes the cooking.
6. Make the harissa oil. Warm the olive oil in a small pan until it is hot enough to sizzle gently but nowhere near smoking. Take it off the heat, stir in the harissa powder and leave it to infuse.
7. Toast the nuts. In a dry pan or the air fryer until fragrant and golden, then roughly chop or crush them.
8. Peel and pull. Strip off the blackened outer layer and discard it. Pull the soft inside into long strips with your fingers or two forks. Careful, it will be steaming hot.
9. Dress and serve. Pile the strips onto a plate, season well with salt and pepper, spoon over the harissa oil and scatter the toasted nuts on top.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Burning it is the technique: The one recipe where going too far is the method
• Five ingredients: Leeks, oil, harissa, nuts, seasoning
• No liquid, no fat in the pan: The leek steams itself
• Barbecue or stovetop: Works identically either way
• Genuinely impressive to look at: For something this simple

Chef's Tips for Charred Leeks

Wash them after you strip the outer layer, not before. Taking that layer off opens up the leek and lets the water get to where the grit actually is.

Do not oil the pan. A dry pan is what chars. Oil in the pan makes them fry and smoke without ever blackening properly.

Turn them, but not constantly. Every three or four minutes. Leaving them still long enough to take colour is the whole point.

Warm the oil, do not scorch it. Harissa powder burns fast and burnt spice is bitter all the way through. Hot enough to sizzle gently, then straight off the heat.

The 15 minute rest is doing real work. It is not resting in the meat sense, it is more cooking. Skipping it leaves the core firmer than you want.

Save the dark green tops. They are too tough for this but they are excellent in stock, and they go straight into the freezer scrap bag.

Toast the nuts separately and last. They take three or four minutes and burn in seconds, so give them their own pan and your attention.

Substitutions & Variations

• Harissa paste instead of powder: Stir a teaspoon into the warm oil rather than infusing it, since the paste is already carrying its own oil and moisture
• No harissa? Smoked paprika, chilli flakes or a spoon of chilli crisp all work in the same way
• Any nut: Almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios or walnuts, whatever is in the cupboard
• Add something creamy: A spoon of yoghurt or whipped feta underneath turns it into a starter
• A squeeze of lemon over the top at the end if you want it sharper
• Spring onions or baby leeks cook the same way in about half the time

Storage

Best eaten fresh: Warm from the pan, while the nuts are still crisp.

Fridge: Three days in an airtight container. They are very good cold, dressed again just before serving.

Freezer: Not recommended. The texture goes watery on thawing.

Avoid: Dressing them with the oil and nuts if you are keeping them. Store the components separately and put it together when you eat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Won't they taste burnt? No, because you throw the burnt part away. The blackened outer layer is peeled off and discarded, and what is underneath has steamed gently inside it. You get a faint smokiness and none of the bitterness.

How do I know when they are done? By feel rather than by looks. Press the side with tongs and the leek should give completely, soft and squishy right through. If it still springs back it needs longer, however black the outside is.

Can I do these on the barbecue? Yes, and it is arguably better. Straight onto the grill, turned every few minutes, then into a bowl covered tightly to steam for 15 minutes.

How do I clean leeks properly? Trim the root and the tough green top, pull off the outer layer, then rinse under cold water working into the top of the leek where the layers separate. Grit hides between layers and it is invisible until you eat it.

What is the difference between harissa powder and harissa paste? The powder is a dry spice blend and the paste is that blend with chilli, oil and often garlic worked in. The powder is what infuses into warm oil. If you only have paste, stir a teaspoon into the warm oil instead.

What nuts work best? Almonds and hazelnuts give you the most crunch, pistachios look the best. Walnuts are good but softer. Use whatever you have.

Can I make it ahead? The leeks yes, up to three days in the fridge. Make the harissa oil and toast the nuts fresh, or at least dress it at the last minute so the nuts stay crisp.

Can I use other alliums? Spring onions, baby leeks and whole spring onions all char the same way and take roughly half the time. A halved onion works too, cut side down.

You Might Also Like

Roasted Carrots with Spiced Yoghurt and Honey Hazelnuts - The same idea, a plain vegetable made into a proper side dish.

Garlic Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce - Another five minute seasonal green.

Parsnip Rosti with Dill Yoghurt and Chilli Crunch - More root vegetables, more chilli oil.

Roasted Yams with Piri Piri Sauce and Sweet Spiced Seeds - A New Zealand seasonal vegetable most people never cook.

Homemade Vegetarian XO Sauce - If a spiced oil to spoon over vegetables sounds like your sort of thing.

Give this one a go next time leeks are cheap. It is the least demanding recipe I know, it uses one pan, and the thing everybody worries about getting wrong is the thing you are actually trying to do.

Enjoy!

Del x

Charred leeks steamed soft inside their own burnt skins, pulled into strips and dressed with harissa oil and toasted nuts.